The Southern Company

(New York Stock Exchange)
Back to all articles
Somewhat Bullish +50

FAMU Set for SWAC Tournament in Birmingham; Draw Texas Southern in Opening Round - Florida A&M - famuathletics.com

AI-generated analysis

🏟️ The 2026 SWAC Baseball Tournament will be held from May 20–24 at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

πŸ† Eight conference qualifiers will compete in a double-elimination format to crown the automatic NCAA Tournament qualifier.

πŸ”’ Florida A&M enters as the No. 3 seed with a 22-8 SWAC record and a 27-22 overall mark.

πŸ“ˆ The Rattlers are riding a six-game winning streak that included sweeps of Alabama A&M and Texas Southern.

🎯 FAMU is seeded into Bracket A alongside Southern, Texas Southern, and Jackson State.

βš”οΈ Florida A&M will face Texas Southern in the opening round on Wednesday, May 20 at 10 a.m. ET.

πŸ“Š The tournament uses a dual-bracket format where bracket champions meet for the championship game on Sunday, May 24.

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ Key offensive contributors include Jackson McKenzie and William Brown, who produced power during the regular-season finale.

⚾ Tanner Walker and Jesus Campa are highlighted as key pitchers with strong late-inning reliability and bullpen work.

πŸ”₯ The team has shown resilience after a mid-season slump, bouncing back to secure a top-three seed.

πŸ›οΈ Rickwood Field is the oldest professional baseball park in the United States, built in 1910.

πŸŽ“ The venue holds significant historical importance for Black baseball and HBCU athletes.

πŸ₯‡ Bethune-Cookman enters as the No. 1 seed with a 23-7 record and leads Bracket B.

πŸ† A championship victory would complete a dramatic season arc from preseason pick to NCAA bid.

Bullish Signals
  • FAMU enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed with a strong 22-8 SWAC record and a 27-22 overall mark, riding a hot six-game winning streak.
  • The Rattlers finished the regular season with a dominant sweep of Alabama A&M and a dramatic series win over Texas Southern to clinch their postseason spot.
  • FAMU's offense is balanced and potent, batting .318 in their final series while hitting six home runs and scoring in 12 of 25 half-innings.
  • The pitching staff has been dominant, with the bullpen posting a combined 1.64 ERA over 11.1 innings of relief work.
  • Jesus Campa delivered a shutdown performance by retiring all 13 batters he faced in the series finale against Alabama A&M.
  • FAMU's lineup features proven power hitters like Jackson McKenzie and William Brown, who contributed significantly during the team's winning streak.
  • The tournament is being held at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, a venue steeped in Black baseball history that honors the legacy of HBCU athletes.
  • FAMU has demonstrated incredible resilience by bouncing back from a mid-season slump to finish as one of the hottest teams in the conference.
Risk Factors
  • FAMU enters the tournament as a No. 3 seed despite being picked second in the preseason coaches' poll and spending time tied for first place at the midpoint of the conference schedule.
  • The Rattlers suffered a mid-season slump that included a three-game sweep at Grambling State which dropped them to sixth place in the SWAC standings.
  • FAMU's opening-round opponent is Texas Southern, whom they defeated 9-8 in Tallahassee during the regular season finale, but Texas Southern has nothing to lose after dropping seven consecutive games to close the regular season and will be eager to reverse their fortunes.
  • The tournament champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, meaning any loss in the bracket play could eliminate FAMU from postseason contention entirely.
  • FAMU's best-case scenario requires winning three or four games depending on whether they stay unbeaten in bracket play, indicating a high bar for success.
  • The championship game pits the Bracket A winner against the Bracket B winner, with the likely opponent being No. 1 Bethune-Cookman, the regular-season champion at 23-7 in SWAC play.
Full Analysis
Florida A&M University's baseball team is set to compete in the 2026 SWAC Baseball Tournament at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, from May 20-24. The Rattlers enter as the No. 3 seed with a 22-8 conference record and a 27-22 overall mark, riding a six-game winning streak that included a sweep of Alabama A&M and a dramatic series win over Texas Southern to close the regular season. The tournament features a unique dual-bracket, double-elimination format where the champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. FAMU is drawn into Bracket A alongside No. 2 Southern, No. 6 Texas Southern, and No. 7 Jackson State, with their opening-round opponent being Texas Southern, whom they defeated 9-8 in Tallahassee during the regular season finale. The tournament bracket includes a championship game on Sunday, May 24, where the winner of Bracket A will face the winner of Bracket B, which features top seed Bethune-Cookman (23-7) and Alabama State (20-10). Key players for FAMU include Jackson McKenzie, William Brown, Jay Campbell, Tanner Walker, and Jesus Campa, who have been instrumental in the team's recent momentum. The article highlights FAMU's resilience after a mid-season slump, noting their ability to bounce back from a three-game sweep at Grambling State that dropped them to sixth place before their hot finish. The venue, Rickwood Field, is noted as the oldest professional baseball park in the United States and holds significant historical importance for Black baseball.